Perhaps no position was hit harder last season than at safety.
Mississippi State graduated three senior safeties in Derek Pegues, Keith Fitzhugh and De'Mon Glanton leaving only one player at the position with any starting experience.
Find out which players will be replacing that unit from...[details]

2007 (Junior): Played in all 13 games during his junior season, earning five starting assignments in the defensive secondary ... Was a regular in the backfield for the final five games of the year ... Despite starting just four times, he finished second among all defensive backs with 58 tackles ... Made five and one-half tackles for loss (minus 20 yards), one of which was a quarterback sack (minus 9 yards) ... Made two pass interceptions (0 yards) and deflected three passes ... Also credited with forcing two fumbles and recovering one ... Opened his junior season with a solid showing vs. LSU in the season opener ... Registered three tackles, including one for loss (minus 3 yards), and a pass deflection, against the Tigers ... Finished second on the team with five tackles, including one tackle for loss (minus 9 yards), a quarterback sack, in State’s Week 2 win over Tulane ... Part of a defensive effort that allowed the Green Wave just 44 yards rushing overall, only 6 second-half yards of total offense and no first downs ... Registered three tackles in Mississippi State’s 19-14 win over Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium ... Helped hold the Tiger passing game to just 107 yards on the day ... Made three tackles, including one-half for loss (minus 1 yard), in the team’s Week 4 win over Gardner-Webb ... Also credited with a forced fumble in the win over the Runnin’ Bulldogs ... Had one tackle in State’s back-to-back games in Weeks 5 and 6 vs. South Carolina and UAB ... After going through a three-week stretch in which he made just two tackles, he exploded for 34 tackles in the season’s final five weeks, nearly seven hits per game ... Led all defensive backs with eight tackles at West Virginia in Week 8 ... Led the club with one and one-half tackles for loss (minus 5 yards) vs. the Mountaineers ... Topped all defensive backs and was third on the team with six tackles at Kentucky one week later ... Also credited with a fumble recovery and a pass interception in the Bulldogs’ 31-14 win over the nationally 14th-ranked Wildcats . . .His interception of an Andre Woodson pass came just into the fourth quarter with MSU holding a 24-14 lead at the time ... His biggest tackle of the game came on Kentucky’s final offensive on a fourth-and-goal play with 4:02 left in the game ... He dropped UK tight end Jacob Tamme for no gain, giving MSU possession at its own 5-yard line ... Led the club with 10 tackles in the Bulldogs’ 17-12 win over nationally No. 21-ranked Alabama in Week 10 ... Also credited with one forced fumble against the Crimson Tide ... Recorded three tackles, including one for loss (minus 1 yard), at Arkansas in Week 11 ... Registered six tackles, including one-half tackle for loss (minus 1 yard) and a pair of pass break ups in the club’s 17-14 victory over Ole Miss to close the regular season ... Tied for the team lead with eight tackles in State’s 10-3 win over Central Florida in the 2007 AutoZone Liberty Bowl ... Also intercepted his second pass of the season, a turnover gained by the Bulldog defense that set up the team’s game-winning score ... With UCF moving near midfield late in the fourth period, he intercepted a Kyle Israel pass at the MSU 41 ... Following that theft, the Bulldogs began their final scoring drive.

2006 (Sophomore): Began his sophomore season as the team’s regular strong safety ... Played in all 12 games, he started 10 contests at the position ... Did not make opening calls against only Jacksonville State and Georgia at midseason ... Finished fourth on the team with 59 total tackles during his second season at State ... Made one-half tackle for loss (minus 1 yard) and was credited with one fumble recovery ... Intercepted one pass (22-yard return) and had three pass deflections ... Made 30 tackles in the season’s first five weeks, more than half his season total, averaging six tackles per game ... Registered five tackles, including one-half for loss (minus 1 yard), in the Bulldogs’ season opener with South Carolina ... Helped hold USC all-SEC WR Sidney Rice to a career-low two catches in that game ... Added five more tackles a week later against Auburn ... Also credited with a fumble recovery and a pass deflection against the Tigers ... Totaled three tackles and a pass break up in Week 3 vs. Tulane ... Led the team with eight tackles one week later at UAB ... Tied for second on the club with a career-high nine tackles at LSU in Week 5 ... Made one hit a week later vs. West Virginia ... After a two-week lull at midseason when he made a combined one tackle against West Virginia and Jacksonville State, he rebounded to record 28 hits in the season’s final five weeks (5.6 per game) ... Made five tackles in his personal homecoming game at Georgia in Week 8 ... Also intercepted a pass and returned it 22 yards against the Peach State Bulldogs ... Made four tackles against Kentucky in Week 9 ... Tied for second on the club with seven tackles in the Bulldogs’ win at Alabama one week later ... Was fourth on the team with seven tackles against Arkansas in Week 11 ... Also credited with a pass broken up vs. the Razorbacks ... Culminated his sophomore season with a solid showing in the season finale at Ole Miss ... Registered five hits against the Rebels ... Outstanding spring practice period was cut short when he missed the final week of drills due to a non-injury situation ... Registered 13 tackles, including one for loss, in the spring’s first two scrimmages ... Also returned a fumble 56 yards for a touchdown ... Opened the fall first at strong safety.

2005 (Freshman): Played in all 11 games during his true freshman season, starting one time in the defensive backfield ... Made 13 tackles on the year, including one for loss (minus 1 yard) ... Also recorded his first collegiate interception during his first year on campus ... Made 11 of his season-total tackles during the season’s first six weeks ... Registered one tackle in Mississippi State’s season-opening 38-6 win over Murray State ... Added another hit one week later in the team’s SEC opener at Auburn ... Made two tackles against Tulane in the Bulldogs’ 21-14 win over the Green Wave in Week 3 ... Added two more tackles a week later vs. Georgia ... Made it three straight weeks with a pair of tackles against LSU in Week 5 ... One of his hits vs. the Tigers came behind the line of scrimmage (minus 1 yard) ... Recorded three tackles in his first career start during Week 6 work at Florida ... Also had his first career pass interception against the Gators ... Returned to the stats sheet during Week 8 work at Kentucky with one hit ... Added another tackle in State’s season-ending 35-14 win over Ole Miss in the Battle for the Golden Egg ... Had a standout spring practice session and emerged from those drills second on the depth chart at right cornerback ... Was one of the highlights of State’s Maroon and White spring game ... Only had one tackle, but deflected one pass and had a pass interception (3-yard return) ... Also made a brief appearance at wide receiver on offense.

The Good: Possesses a strong, well-built frame with good overall muscle tone and girth in his lower body. Does a nice job breaking down and wrapping up in space. A former corner with good ball skills and awareness down the field. Has the ability to play the center field-type role. Possesses good straight-line speed and range. Displays smooth footwork and balance in and out of his breaks. Natural in man and zone coverage.The Bad: Doesn't play with the type of power or physicality his body would leave you to believe. Doesn't like to take on blocks inside and will run himself out of plays at the line of scrimmage. A bit of a tweener who will need to find his position once he gets to training camp.